Avatar items and animations

ABSTRACT

Mechanisms for accessorizing avatars with animated items. Avatars may be accessorized by items that have animations that are item specific, or they may be accessorized by items that apply to the entire body of the avatars. In addition, such item accessories may apply to avatars across different game titles and they may be added during the execution of a game, whether using a user interface or the game itself (e.g. receiving accessories for achieving certain milestones in a game). Such accessories may also be obtained from remote sources as packages, and then applied locally to avatars.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser.No. 61/080,626, filed on Jul. 14, 2008.

The present application may be related in subject matter to thefollowing applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/178,535,U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/188,953.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND PERMISSION

A portion of the disclosure of this document may contain material thatis subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objectionto the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or thepatent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Officepatent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rightswhatsoever. The following notice shall apply to this document: Copyright© 2008 Microsoft Corp.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The presently disclosed subject matter relates to the field ofcomputing, and more particularly, to fields such as gaming, althoughthis is merely an exemplary and non-limiting field.

BACKGROUND

Avatars can be graphical images that represent real persons in virtualor game space. They can be embodiments or personifications of thepersons themselves, or of principles, attitudes, or views of life heldby such persons. Hitherto, avatars have been static, or at most, theyhave had limited animation capabilities. However, what is needed issystems, methods, and/or computer readable media that allow for creativeanimation based on input from users and/or games.

SUMMARY

Various mechanisms are provided herein for accessorizing avatars withanimated items. Avatars may be accessorized by items that haveanimations that are item specific, or they may be accessorized by itemsthat apply to the entire body of the avatars. In addition, such itemaccessories may apply to avatars across different game titles and theymay be added during the execution of a game, whether using a userinterface or the game itself (e.g. receiving accessories for achievingcertain milestones in a game). Such accessories may also be obtainedfrom remote sources as packages, and then applied locally to avatars.

It should be noted that this Summary is provided to introduce aselection of concepts in a simplified form that are further describedbelow in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended toidentify key features or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scopeof the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing Summary, as well as the following Detailed Description, isbetter understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.In order to illustrate the present disclosure, various aspects of thedisclosure are shown. However, the disclosure is not limited to thespecific aspects shown. The following figures are included:

FIG. 1 illustrates that in the prior art avatars and any associateditems were static;

FIG. 2 illustrates that in contrast to FIG. 1, avatar items can beanimated in a plurality of ways;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary system that allows for avataraccessorizing using animated items;

FIG. 4 illustrates a system for animating avatars across a plurality ofgames;

FIG. 5 illustrates various aspects of animating items as they areapplied to avatars;

FIG. 6 illustrates superposition of animation items;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method for implementing the presentlydisclosed subject matter;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer readable medium forimplementing the presently disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary computing device, such as a console,that can be used in conjunction with the various aspects of the presentdisclosure discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-8 and 10; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary networking environment for thepresently disclosed subject matter discussed with reference to FIGS.1-9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates that in the prior art avatars and any associateditems were static. A user A 160 could play a gaming console A 166, andin playing such a gaming console 166, the user 160 could have multipleavatars, such as avatar X 172, avatar Y 174, and avatar Z 176. Theseavatars 172, 174, 176 would typically be game specific. In other words,one game would allow the user 160 to select a first avatar 172, a secondgame would allow the user 160 to select a second avatar 174, a thirdgame would allow the user 160 to select a third avatar 176, and so on.

In the case of online game playing, other users, such as user B 162 anduser C 164 could interact with the first user 160 if such online gameplaying was mediated by a central server. In the prior art shown in FIG.1, such avatars 172, 174, 176 that were associated with the first user160 could be seen by the other users 162, 164, however, these avatars172, 174, 176 would be static in that they would not change over time orat least they would not be animated—as this term is understood by thoseof skill in the art.

In stark contrast to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 illustrates that avatars can beanimated in a plurality of ways. Specifically, avatars may be adorned oraccessorized by “items,” where an item is understood to be any piece ofgraphic and/or audio component that may be applied to an existingavatar. By way of example and not limitation, items may include hats,shoes, gloves (i.e., any piece of clothing), in which case such itemsmay contain animations that are item specific—for example, a hat thatkeeps changing colors or moves about an avatar's head. Moreover, itemsmay also apply to the entire avatar body—for example, the notion ofdancing, smiling, or jumping may be applied to an avatar as a whole inorder to add to the avatar's liveliness and presentability (or it may beadded for other purposes).

In any event, FIG. 2 shows that in one aspect of the presently disclosedsubject matter, avatar X 172 may have applied to it animation that isspecific 200 to the avatar 174 (e.g. the hat example discussed above).On the other hand, avatar Y 174 may have animation that is applied tothe entire body 208 of the avatar 174 (e.g. the dance example discussedabove). In either case 172, 174, or in other cases 176, the avatars maybe user determined 202 or they may be game determined 206. This meansthat users may accessorize the avatars 172, 174, 176 via some interface,or such avatars may be accessorized by gaming titles 210. In this latterscenario, if the user 160 is playing a game and unlocks an achievementin the game, the reward for such achievement may be animation items thatthen may be applied to the user's 160 avatars—whether to the avatars ina specific game or to the avatars in general for several (or all) games.

For example, if a user wins a hat animation, such a hat animation may beapplied to the avatar across several games, whether racing games,strategic games, fantasy games, and so on. The animation may be the samefor an avatar across several games, or it may change depending on thecontext of the game. Such details are implementation specific, and allaspects of such animation items are contemplated herein.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 illustrates anexemplary system that allows for avatar accessorizing using animateditems. An avatar engine 302 may be configured to apply accessory itemsto avatars 308. The accessory items may contained in a animation package318 and be provided together with three dimensional meshes 312,bitmapped textures 314, configuration information (e.g. where the itemsshould be placed in relation to the avatar 308). All this code and datacould be part of an overall avatar accessory package 310. In short, theavatar engine 302 may access content in the avatar accessory package 310and then apply this content to the actual avatar 308.

There may be various triggering mechanisms for applying such itemcontent to avatars. For example, one such mechanism can include a userinterface 306 that allows users to select which items to apply to whichavatars. Alternatively (or in addition to), game titles 304 themselvescan be a trigger for applying item content to avatars, depending on theimplementation and user interaction with a gaming console hosting suchan avatar engine 302. Yet, in other aspects of the present disclosure,the avatar engine 302 may reside on hosting server and any processingmay be performed upstream from users.

FIG. 3 also shows that there may be various sources for the shown avataraccessory package 310. In addition to item content being provided by thegame titles themselves 322, such content can be acquired from an onlinesource 324 or it can be purchased from various sources (including games,servers, and other media). Thus, the avatar engine 302 can apply itemcontent that was created by various content creators 326, as long assuch creators are aware of standards expected by the avatar engine 302.However, universal (non-proprietary) standards may also be used, asthose skilled in the art will readily appreciate.

In another aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, FIG. 4illustrates a system for animating avatars across a plurality of games.Although a system is shown in FIG. 4, this subject matter can bepracticed as a method and/or computer readable media (which is true ofthis figure with respect to any of the other figures, and vice versa).In FIG. 4, the above discussed avatar engine 302 may have variousmodules. The shown modules 402, 404, 406 are merely exemplary andnon-limiting (as holds true for any of the present disclosure that isexemplary and non-limiting).

Thus, a system may be used for animating gaming console avatars in aplurality of different ways, where the system may be loaded in localcomputer memory and where it may be executed by a physical processor. Insuch a system, a processing module 402 may be configured to process anaccessory package 310 containing a plurality of animation items. Anothermodule, the identification module 404, may be configured to identifyavatars and animation items from the plurality of animation items. Andstill another module, the application module 406, may be configured toapply the animation items to the avatars.

This system may accommodate various other aspects, such as havinganimation items applied to the avatars 410 at least in a first gametitle 420 and a second game title 422. Moreover, the animation items maybe configured to be applied to the avatars 410 while the first gametitle 420 is playing 407. In other aspects, animation items may befurther configured to be applied to the avatars 410 while the secondgame 422 title is playing 407. The first game title 420 and the secondgame title 422 may be distinct from each other in that they may beloaded separately, at time t1 424 and at time t2 426.

FIG. 5 illustrates various aspects of animating items as they areapplied to avatars. A plurality of items are shown 300-316. For example,item 1 300 can be animated, as can item 7 312 and item 6 310 (havingseveral different types of animations Y, U, V). In one aspect of thepresently disclosed subject matter, one avatar can have a correspondinganimation item (one-to-one relationship); however, the avatar-to-itemrelationship can be one-to-many and many-to-one. In any event, as wasmentioned above, animation items can be confined to themselves, such asitem 1 300, item 6 310 and item 7 312, or then can be applicable to theentire avatar 320, as was already mentioned above. In still otheraspects, animation items can have causal relationships 338 with otheritems, such as one animation item on an avatar having a causal effect onanother animation item.

FIG. 6 illustrates superposition of animation items. For example anavatar body 520 can have applied to it any number of items 300, 302,304, and 306. The animation placement 512 can be designated in theanimation package discussed above. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, other animation items 500, 502, 504, 506 can be layered ontop 510 of the original animation items 300, 302, 304, and 306. Forexample, if the first items 512 are blue colored, and the second items510 are yellow colored, the result will be green colored animationitems. Thus, animation items may have various placements on avatarbodies that can overlap, reside along with, or cover other animationitems.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary method where a step is performedcomprising receiving an accessory package with avatar accessories 700.The next step may be identifying avatars as candidates for animation710, and then applying accessory items to avatars. The final step may beactually displaying animated avatars 730. These steps can be used withthe disclosure provided above, such as the avatar accessories maycomprise of a plurality of items that are applicable to an avatar, theavatar may be an object corresponding to a user of a gaming console, andat least one of the plurality of items may be configured to be animatedwhen applied to said avatar. Moreover, triggering events may be used,avatars may be applied at least across two distinct game titles (e.g.loaded separately), avatars may be accessorized in real time during gameplay, avatars may be continuously animated during a game (or they maypause as times), and so on.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer readable medium 890 storingthereon various computer executable instructions. This medium 890 can beimplemented as a system or practiced as a method, thus the presentdisclosure discussing computer readable media is merely exemplary. Aplurality of instructions may be employed in order to accessorizedavatars with items. Instructions for accessing 805 a database may allowfor downloading of avatar accessorization content from remote databases;instructions for receiving 815 packages can process or unwrap any suchaccessorization content wrapped up in packages; instructions that apply810 accessories to avatars may allow users to setup the look and feel ofavatars in a desired manner; instructions that display animated avatarscan be used to display this content on a variety of different media,such as monitors, cell phones, and so on.

It will be readily appreciated that other instructions may be used inconjunction with the aspects discussed above, such as: instructionsconfigured to carry at least one item between or across different gametitles 825; instructions configured to present to a user the option ofaccessorizing any avatars during the execution of games 830;instructions configured to trigger and manage animation in differentways 870, such continuous 850, event 855, user 860, and idle 865animation; instructions configured to apply animation in specific ways810, such as item-based 804 and avatar-based 802, or using differentmechanisms, such as user interface 806 and game titles 808. It should benoted that other instructions 835 that embody the various aspectdiscussed above may be used.

The above discussed computing devices and accessories can be embodied asgaming consoles, music players, personal computers, controllers, remotecontrol devices and other such devices having different, similar, or thesame platforms. Referring to FIG. 9, a block diagram shows an exemplarymultimedia console that can be used in conjunction with the variousaccessories with lighting activation by proximity and motioncapabilities.

This console, which includes a game oriented console or a PC, cancomprise, for example, digital audio processing functionality.Specifically, in FIG. 9, a multimedia console 100 is shown, with acentral processing unit (CPU) 101 having a level 1 (L1) cache 102, alevel 2 (L2) cache 104, and a flash ROM (Read-only Memory) 106. Thelevel 1 cache 102 and level 2 cache 104 can temporarily store data andhence reduce the number of memory access cycles, thereby improvingprocessing speed and throughput. The flash ROM 106 can store executablecode that is loaded during an initial phase of a boot process when themultimedia console 100 is powered. Alternatively, the executable codethat is loaded during the initial boot phase can be stored in a flashmemory device (not shown). Further, ROM 106 can be located separatelyfrom the CPU 101. These memory devices can cache parts or the entiretyof the above mentioned applications, programs, applets, managed code,and so on. Moreover, these memory devices can store sensitive andnon-sensitive information on a memory unit-by-memory unit basis, as wasdiscussed above. Any of such information can be used at least in part toaid in animating avatars as was discussed above.

A graphics processing unit (GPU) 108 and a video encoder/video codec(coder/decoder) 114 can form a video processing pipeline for high speedand high resolution graphics processing. Data can be carried from thegraphics processing unit 108 to the video encoder/video codec 114 via abus. The video processing pipeline can output data to an A/V(audio/video) port 140 for transmission to a television or otherdisplay. A memory controller 110 can be connected to the GPU 108 and CPU101 to facilitate processor access to various types of memory 112, suchas, but not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory). Thus, varioustypes of information, whether sensitive or not, or even parts of varioustypes of information, can be stored in the various types of memoriesdiscussed above, depending on the need.

The multimedia console 100 can include an I/O controller 120, a systemmanagement controller 122, an audio processing unit 123, a networkinterface controller 124, a first USB host controller 126, a second USBcontroller 128 and a front panel I/O subassembly 130 that can bepreferably implemented on a module 118. The USB controllers 126 and 128can serve as hosts for peripheral controllers 142(1)-142(2), a wirelessadapter 148, and an external memory unit 146 (e.g., flash memory,external CD/DVD ROM drive, removable media, etc.). Such peripheralcontrollers 142(1)-142(2) can have various types of lighting displaysthat is triggered by proximity and motion. Moreover, the networkinterface 124 and/or wireless adapter 148 can provide access to anetwork (e.g., the Internet, home network, etc.) and can be any of awide variety of various wired or wireless interface components includingan Ethernet card, a modem, a Bluetooth module, a cable modem, and thelike.

System memory 143 can be provided to store application data that isloaded during the boot process. A media drive 144 can be provided andcan comprise a DVD/CD drive, hard drive, or other removable media drive,etc. The media drive 144 can be internal or external to the multimediaconsole 100. Application data can be accessed via the media drive 144for execution, playback, etc. by the multimedia console 100. The mediadrive 144 can be connected to the I/O controller 120 via a bus, such asa Serial ATA bus or other high speed connection (e.g., IEEE 1394).Additional to such application data, other information can be stored onthe console 100 that will aid in the communication betweenperipheral/accessory device controllers and the console 100 itself.

The system management controller 122 can provide a variety of servicefunctions to assure the availability of the multimedia console 100. Theaudio processing unit 123 and an audio codec 132 can form acorresponding audio processing pipeline with high fidelity, 3D,surround, and stereo audio processing according to aspects of thepresently disclosed subject matter above. Audio data can be carriedbetween the audio processing unit 123 and the audio codec 126 via acommunication link. The audio processing pipeline can output data to theA/V port 140 for reproduction by an external audio player or devicehaving audio capabilities.

The front panel I/O subassembly 130 can support the functionality of thepower button 150 and the eject button 152, as well as any LEDs (lightemitting diodes) or other indicators exposed on the outer surface of themultimedia console 100. A system power supply module 136 can providepower to the components of the multimedia console 100. A fan 138 cancool the circuitry within the multimedia console 100.

The CPU 101, GPU 108, memory controller 110, and various othercomponents within the multimedia console 100 can be interconnected viaone or more buses, including serial and parallel buses, a memory bus, aperipheral bus, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety ofbus architectures.

When the multimedia console 100 is powered on or rebooted, applicationdata can be loaded from the system memory 143 into memory 112 and/orcaches 102, 104 and executed on the CPU 101. Such application data caninclude some of the online derived data, including the avatar packagesdiscussed above. The application can also present a graphical userinterface that provides a consistent user experience when navigating todifferent media types available on the multimedia console 100. Users canaccessorize avatars using such a user interface. In operation,applications and/or other media contained within the media drive 144 canbe launched or played from the media drive 144 to provide additionalfunctionalities to the multimedia console 100. And, such media,including game titles can be the basis for accessorizing avatars.

The multimedia console 100 can be operated as a standalone system bysimply connecting the system to a television or other display. In thisstandalone mode, the multimedia console 100 can allow one or more usersto interact with the system, watch movies, listen to music, and thelike. However, with the integration of broadband connectivity madeavailable through the network interface 124 or the wireless adapter 148,the multimedia console 100 can further be operated as a participant in alarger network community of computing devices. As such a participant, itcan interact with computing devices, whether PCs or servers, and receiveinformation that can be eventually stored.

Next, FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary networking environment forsubject matter discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-9. The abovediscussed console 100 can correspond to any one of the aforementionedcomputing devices, or it can be distributed over such devices. It caninteract with various other objects 155 and storage devices 158 via acommunications network/bus 154, where such objects 155 and devices 158can correspond to other computing devices (whether hardware, firmware,or software). The controllers 142(1)-142(2) can communicate with theconsole 100 in a wired manner or wirelessly, over close distances orover remote distances using the shown communications network 154. Suchcommunication can be aided by various computing devices 156, 153, 157connected to the communications network 154.

Finally, it should also be noted that the various techniques describedherein can be implemented in connection with hardware or software or,where appropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods andapparatus of the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspectsor portions thereof, can take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in tangible storage media, such as floppydiskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storagemedium, where, when the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing the subject matter.

In the case of program code execution on programmable computers, thecomputing device can generally include a processor, a storage mediumreadable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memoryand/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least oneoutput device. One or more programs that can utilize the creation and/orimplementation of domain-specific programming models aspects of thepresent invention, e.g., through the use of a data processingapplication programming interface (API) or the like, are preferablyimplemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programminglanguage to communicate with a computer system. However, the program(s)can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In anycase, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language, andcombined.

Finally, while the present disclosure has been described in connectionwith a plurality of exemplary aspects, as illustrated in the variousfigures and discussed above, it is understood that other similar aspectscan be used or modifications and additions can be made to the describedaspects for performing the same function of the present disclosurewithout deviating therefrom. For example, in various aspects of thedisclosure, methods, systems, and computer readable media were describedconfigured for providing animation accessorization of avatars. However,other equivalent mechanisms to these described aspects are alsocontemplated by the teachings herein. Therefore, the present disclosureshould not be limited to any single aspect, but rather construed inbreadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.

1. A method for triggering, applying, and maintaining animationaccessories for avatars in gaming console environments, comprising:receiving an accessory package with avatar accessories, wherein saidavatar accessories comprise a plurality of items that are applicable toan avatar, at least two of the plurality of items having a relationshipwith one another; wherein said avatar is an object corresponding to auser of a gaming console; wherein at least one of said plurality ofitems is configured to be animated when applied to said avatar;identifying said avatar as a candidate for having said at least one ofsaid plurality of items applied to said avatar; applying said at leastone of said plurality of items to said avatar upon a triggering event;wherein said plurality of items are configured to be applied to saidavatar at least across two distinct game titles; wherein said pluralityof items are further configured to be applied during an execution of agame; and displaying said avatar that has been accessorized with said atleast one of said plurality of items.
 2. The method according to claim1, wherein said at least one of said plurality of item containsanimation specific to itself
 3. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid at least one of said plurality of item contains animation specificto an entire body of said avatar.
 4. The method according to claim 1,wherein said triggering event is based on at least one of (a) a userinput and (b) a game input, wherein a game executing on said gamingconsole is providing said game input.
 5. The method according to claim1, wherein said animated avatar is animated continuously as a user isplaying said game.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at leastan item of said plurality of items has a three-dimensional animation. 7.The method according to claim 1, wherein a first item of said at leasttwo of said plurality of items is at least in part superimposed on asecond item of said at least two of said plurality of items.
 8. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein a first item of said at least twoof said plurality of items at least in part has a causal effect on asecond item of said at least two of said plurality of items.
 9. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said pluralityof items is a carrying object that is configured to be applied acrosssaid two distinct gaming titles.
 10. A system for animating gamingconsole avatars in a plurality of differing ways, wherein said system isloaded in local computer memory and wherein said system is beingexecuted by a physical processor, comprising: a processing moduleconfigured to process an accessory package containing a plurality ofanimation items, a first animation item of the plurality of animationitems having a relationship with a second animation item of theplurality of animation items; an identification module configured toidentify an avatar and an identified animation item from said pluralityof animation items; an application module configured to apply saididentified animation item to said avatar; wherein said identifiedanimation item applies to said avatar at least in a first game title anda second game title; and wherein said identified animation item isconfigured to be applied to said avatar while said first game title isplaying.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said identifiedanimation item is further configured to be applied to said avatar whilesaid second game title is playing.
 12. The system according to claim 10,wherein said first game title and said second game title are distinct inbeing loaded separately.
 13. The system according to claim 10, whereinsaid application module applies said identified animation item to saidavatar upon a triggering event that is based on at least one of (a) auser input and (b) a game input.
 14. The system according to claim 10,wherein said identified animation item is animated when a user isengaging a game.
 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein saididentified animation item is configured to be superimposed on anadditional animation item applied to said avatar.
 16. The systemaccording to claim 10, wherein said application module is furtherconfigured to remove said identified animation item from said avatarupon a triggering event.
 17. The system according to claim 10, whereinsaid plurality of animation items comprise at least one animation itemthat is animated in itself and at least one animation item that appliesto an entire body of said avatar.
 18. A computer readable medium, otherthan a signal, storing thereon computer executable instructions foraccessorizing avatars with various animation items, comprising: aninstruction for accessing a database comprising a plurality of accessoryitems residing on a remote server, a first accessory item of theplurality of accessory items having an effect on a second accessory itemof the plurality of accessory items; an instruction for receiving apackage of said plurality of accessory items at a local gaming console,wherein said package contains items that have animations specific to theitems themselves, and wherein said package contains items that haveanimations that are applicable to entire avatars; an instruction thatapplies at least one item of said package of said plurality of accessoryitems to at least one avatar of said avatars; an instruction thatcarries said at least one item of said package of said plurality ofaccessory items from a first game title to a second game title; aninstruction that presents to a user an option to accessorize any avatarsassociated with said user during execution of at least one of said firstgame title and said second game title; and an instruction that displayssaid at least one avatar that has been accessorized by said at least oneitem of said package.
 19. The computer readable medium according toclaim 18, further comprising: an instruction that provides at least oneaccessory item to said at least one avatar from a local source, whereinsaid local source is at least one of said first game title and saidsecond game title.
 20. The computer readable medium according to claim19, further comprising: an instruction that interprets any threedimensional meshes, bitmap textures, and configuration informationassociated with said plurality of accessory items for application tosaid at least one avatar.